Djing For Free. Could It Be An Option?

[Teez 0]

OK, don't jump on this one just yet. Also this won't work in every location but I would like to chew this over with you guys.

 

This Wednesday I took my laptop, prepostorously large memory USB stick and very small speakers to my local pub. (The speakers were Sony computer speakers with a real punch)

 

Wednesday nights in this isolated country pub are usually dead with only two or three punters playing pool.

 

I agreed with two friends that I would bring along some music and we would have an evening playing pool but at least with some decent music, requests etc etc. There were no plans to make this into an event.

 

Word spread over the 48 hours prior to the evening and by 9pm the public bar was packed. I ended up abandoning my game and spent time queuing up requests and having a really good time. The volume was louder than the normal 'musak' but nothing like a normal gig.

 

The pub trebled their takings that night.

 

So, my point is that if you are looking for more work/income one option is to offer a struggling pub a weekday evening of good music, managed by a pro, say in exchange for free drinks on the first night.

 

If it works and they see a good increase in trade, you can then talk about a next time and either a ££fee or a share of the increased profits (if they are prepared to be honest about it).

 

I didnt take any kit, no lights, mike, nothing. It was a weekday evening where I had fun and I probably had about £20 worth of free drinks (no, not squash!)

 

This is not an alternative to proper DJ paid events but for those who have quiet weekdays or who want to stimulate business in new venues it may be worth considering.

 

Anyone else tried this?

 

:joe:

 

[funkymook 0]

If it gets you a foot in the door then it makes good business sense. And if the night goes really well it gives you more bargaining power over the price you charge for future bookings there. I'd say it's an acceptable loss leader in the right situation.

[Robster 0]

 

 

I don't want to rain on your parade and well done for having a go at something new in your local

 

my point would be anyone can do one night or a first few for the novelty in a pub if after two months you are still trebling takings only then it does i mean it really is working. i have done sampler gigs before for reduced rates and gotten work off it.

 

one thing i have found is be careful about bringing friends on your first nights they may support you the first couple of weeks but after a while they can slowly fizzle out , you have to tap into the existing customer base the venue has and also the people they have lost in the past.

 

I know KJ's who promise big crowds and they often do for the first few weeks then it goes dead and the pub gets rid of them, i prefer to start slow and build it slowly , often what goes up slowly comes down slowly too.

 

I wont do gigs for beer money but fair enough if it gets you work , again just from my experience in retail and in djing if you price point a product as free its hard to start charging a decent price for a once free item and for people to genuinely value the product or for customers not to moan about a very reasonable price when they once got it free.

many pubs will give you free drinks anyway plus your fee (depending on the fee of course) i tend to pay for my drinks and charge a higher fee but i am sure i could negotiate free drinks and a fee with my venues if i wanted.

 

As you say this wont work in every location and every situation, area and venue is different but if this works for you and every one is happy ..nice one! that what its all about.

[Welsh Audio Man 21 0]

Ive not done free offers, but I have offered services at a reduced rate to cover my costs and as a trial. I usually provide a full price quote per event as a guideline should they wish to book me again after the reduced rate, so the client is aware of the rate before they agree to the reduced trial.

[Kent Discos 0]

pubs are funny ones....

did my last karaoke for a while at my local on thursday... when i took over from the other guy that used to do karaoke, they made double for the first month and a bit, then the people disappeared to uni and then it died down a bit, and now due to the dieing down i had a chat with the manager and called it quits until holidays kick in or the uni students come back, and ironically the last one i did this thursday happened to be one of the busiest nights we have had up their since i started!!

 

 

[DJMickeyk 0]

Never occurred to me to do anything like this, and I don't think I would either. I agree completely with Rob, once you give something for free how on earth do you expect to get well paying work out of it, to be fair you are talking about mid-week when you would be otherwise idle, the night sounds like great fun but i think the type of night you are talking about would possibly work as a monthly thing, or every six weeks where the usual gang would gather for chat and good tunes, I doubt people would keep coming out midweek every week which means the landlord is unlikely to agree to a paying gig. Interesting topic though.

[Teez 0]

I agree with many of the concerns but to be honest I'm sensing a lot of 'glass half empty' thoughts here.

 

If I had the choice between doing nothing midweek and waiting for a business enquiry to land via conventional marketing channels, putting yourself out at a number of locations with the occasional 'freeby' raises your profile, gets your calling cards out to more people and is much more interactive than standing behind the decks all night.

 

Just because you offer a 'freebie' doesn't mean that anyone expects it to be free forever. It's all down to how you pitch it. I think we are all familiar with promotions in shops etc etc, so why not with DJ'ing???

 

Yes, of course this whould be just a random thing and yes, after a while the novelty may wear off. I do, however, know of at least two people who came to my 'freebie' who will now book me in the near future.

 

It cost me absolutely nothing and it saved me having to stay in and watch some rubbish on TV. I must confess that it was a lot of fun because I was dj'ing from within the crowd too and there were no expectations for me to create any cool mixes, just good music to listen and not dance to.

 

:joe:

[wizard 0]

I have never done free gigs like that but I have done a few charity events which I have always received bookings from so you could say that the promotion worked ( although I did not do them for that reason )

[Slimboy Fat 0]

I must admit it is something I have been considering for quite some time. Live music is definitely king in these parts at the weekend but my plan is to offer our local rock / metal venue my DJing services for free for maybe a couple of months or so on a Monday night to see if we can get something going. Nothing currently happens there on a Monday and every other night of the week is occupied by some sort of live music, whether it be a residency, a "jam" or open mic night or a feature band. The advantage to me is that I will actually be playing the music that I personally love and am most familiar with. The current big disadvantage is that I am currently on alternate weekly early / late shift at work so physically can't actually put the plan into action until we revert back to regular day shifts.

 

The bottom line is that it's a risk that may work or may not but I know I will have fun and make friends in the process and I feel we need all the friends we can get in this industry at the moment.

[Teez 0]

Good point Slimboy, one which I forgot to mention and that is you are more able to play the music you want to. (as long as the punters enjoy it of course)

 

No complaints from fee paying customers or requests for 'Puff The Magic Dragon' which I was forced to play recently !!! (Best way to clear a dancefloor!)

 

:joe:

[vokf 0]

Good point Slimboy, one which I forgot to mention and that is you are more able to play the music you want to. (as long as the punters enjoy it of course)

 

No complaints from fee paying customers or requests for 'Puff The Magic Dragon' which I was forced to play recently !!! (Best way to clear a dancefloor!)

 

:joe:

 

I think with any kind of promotion, this needs considering in detail before offering a free night.

 

I've sat at home on a Saturday night, thinking "I'd really love to do a gig now!", so know exactly where you're coming from.

I think setting some basic ground rules before this is offered will help long term.

A few months ago, I was on the position where my local pub landlord told a potential enquiry how much I charge him.

Whilst I'm happy to admit the rate for my local is average for the area, my private party rates are above average, and very different for the odd pub gig.

 

The idea of playing to mates, goes back to most of our routes, and is a fantastic way to re-connect with a crowd. However, the pub is also a business, and so is the brewery.

Providing free entertainment does devalue the profession unless its a considered approach to marketing.

 

Free beer is cool -but I doubt you'll get >50 pints....

 

Not really criticising, and I hope you get work from the 1-off free night.

I also walk into my local (I'm actually here tonight!) and see a fairly empty pub and wish I could bring a small rig and build up the night.